Fire crews believe water from aquarium doused flames

An East Bremerton couple returning from a week's vacation found their home filled with ashes Sunday night.

The couple called the Bremerton Fire Department around 10 p.m. Sunday to investigate what happened. It appears a large fish tank inside the home may have caught on fire. Heat from the flames caused the glass to break and water from inside the tank put out the fire, according to Bremerton Fire Lt. John Payne.

"I've never seen anything like it," he said.

There were scorch marks up the walls and ash throughout the entire house, Payne said. He was surprised no one called to report the fire while the couple were away; the fire would have been noticeable from outside, he said.

While the home was damaged, Payne said it could have been a lot worse if the tank hadn't broken.

Even though crews think the fire started in the aquarium, the Bremerton Fire Marshal is investigating.